The purpose of this Media Statement is to clarify what are misinterpretations of a tweet by Jim Wallace earlier today.

“The tweet has obviously been seized on by everyone with an intention to discredit, but although ill timed, it did not and was never intended to suggest that veterans had not fought for all Australians,” said Mr Wallace.

Mr Wallace had been sitting with his 96 year old father, a veteran of both Tobruk and Milne Bay, when he considered a theme often mentioned by him, that he found it difficult to recognise the Australia he had fought for.

“My ill timed tweet was a comment on the ‘nature’ of the Australia he had fought for, and the need to honour that in the way we preserve it into the future.” said Mr Wallace.

“While of course and rightly there have always been gays and Muslims in Australia, many of whom have fought for the country, the nature of the country they fought for and arguably what made it worth fighting for, has been largely drawn from Judeo-Christian heritage and values,” said Mr Wallace.

“I believe in and value ANZAC Day and our veterans too much to have ever intended a slight on the day, and apologise unreservedly for having even tweeted the thought on this day, it was not my intent to see it used this way, ” said Mr Wallace.